I felt it was necessary to honor the memory of my mother, who battled back successfully from heart disease, by starting back doing my workouts on her birthday. If I hadn't done it today, I would have found it easy to procrastinate tomorrow.
Yes, I have been going to physical therapy and I did walk for 40 minutes in my neighborhood just after Christmas but I didn't log any distance or step measurements. Tonight was my first official night back doing what I had been doing apparently rather well in 2009. I imagine I can only improve upon my previous work - keeping it humble of course - by finally embracing an eating budget and losing some weight!
I expect that my feet, which had started to swell slightly in recent days, will begin to look normal as early as tomorrow morning. Over the holidays, I discovered another way I had improved that was previously untested.
Here is the background: Our family was on the way to New York for a funeral. My 100 year-old aunt Evelyn passed away the day after Christmas and her funeral was two days before New Year's Day. Anyway, the drive north took us through the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, which I have ridden through countless times since I was too small to notice.
As children, my brother and I were always in learning mode with our mother, the conscientious teacher. I think she decided that if she was teaching children (as excellent as she was at teaching), her own children would get the best from her - the most - her all. Everything she could find to teach to us, anywhere at any time, we were learning. And it was fun. So, we were learning about tunnels (waterways, fish, boats, bridges, etc.) as we went through the tunnel on vacation trips to New Jersey or to visit relatives or see Broadway Shows in New York.
I was fascinated by the fact that we were driving under water but not getting wet. Although I couldn't see the water, I knew we were under water. And I wanted those bricks to be clear so I could look at the fish. I got it into my elementary-aged head that I should hold my breath always when I am under water.
From then on, nearly every trip we took through that tunnel I held my breath (even a few years ago when I was driving to Philadelphia alone). Back then, I didn't always tell anyone, I just held my breath. Sometimes, the rest of the family noticed I was no longer participating in the conversation and I would have to explain once I started breathing again. From the moment our car was underneath the first part of the structure to when we cleared the other side, I was holding my breath (or trying). No air went in or out. I didn't always make it. Sometimes traffic was heavy and slow but often I would still be holding my breath seconds after we were under the sky again.
On this most recent trip, I held my breath through the tunnel without telling anyone as we traveled northbound. I failed miserably. On the return trip south the next day, I introduced my nephew, who is 12 and appropriately competitive [he's a boy], to my breath-holding practice. It was not hard to challenge him to a contest.
I remember my personal record from years ago was 1 minute 35 seconds. I didn't expect to do any better or even come close (maybe a minute or a minute 5 seconds). My nephew didn't last for 60 seconds. Well, I broke my own record and held my breath for 1 minute 45 seconds! I attribute this to the work I did in the fall (presented in previous blogs below) and am sufficiently motivated to continue through the winter.
My nephew is probably practicing holding his breath right now.
My results for January 10th (Phase 2 / Workout 1) are:
Time: 20 min.
Average Speed 13.2
Distance 4.2
Calories 110
Average Heart Rate 117
Watts: 54
Level: 4 (Program: Manual)
Do something beautiful for your heart today.
~ Cheryl ~
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